Centennial vs. Serra highlights CIF-SS playoff picture

Corona Centennial scored 49 points in last season’s regional final. And lost by 26 points to eventual state champion St. John Bosco.

You could say it was a pre-Welcome to the PAC-5 moment considering the jump that was just a few months away from happening.

The irony of it all is had Serra not been upset by Chaminade in the 2013 Western Division final it would have been the Cavaliers facing St. John Bosco and not the Huskies.

In a bizarre twist, in their inaugural seasons in the PAC-5 it’s Centennial and Serra facing off in one of the more intriguing first-round matchups in the CIF Southern Section’s top division.

Centennial received the No. 3 seed and Serra got in as an automatic qualifier. However, despite being tri-champs of the Mission League, Serra as losers of the coin flip, is the third place team out of its league.

Additionally, both teams are placed in the brutal, bottom half of the bracket.

"Tough draw for both of us," Centennial head coach Matt Logan said via text message. "Welcome to the PAC-5."

Added Serra head coach Scott Altenberg via text "I think the CIF wanted to make sure that both Centennial and us got the full PAC-5 experience."

The winner of Serra and Centennial gets the winner of Mater Dei and Westlake.

Elsewhere in the bottom half of the bracket is JSerra the runner-up in the Trinity League making the first playoff appearance in school history. The Lions, the No. 2 seed, get Corona Santiago. The winner faces the winner of Bishop Amat and Lakewood.

In the upper half of the bracket is No. 1 seed and defending champion St. John Bosco who hosts Long Beach Cabrillo at Cerritos College in the first round.

The No. 4 seed, Long Beach Poly, will host Trinity League at-large Servite.